GOOD NEWS FROM ENGLAND

From Ruth Gledhill at the Times Online:

The Church of England is to go ahead with the plan to create women bishops without giving in to demands from traditionalists for a separate structure of bishops and archbishops untainted by the hands of a woman.

I hope that Ruth is right and that the plan survives intact through General Synod in July.

Traditionalists warned last night that the decision, to be announced at the General Synod today, will trigger an exodus from the Church of England of many thousands of priests and lay people.

Just go already, or stop making threats.

The Synod’s Catholic Group said it was “deeply disappointed and dismayed” by the Bishop of Manchester’s statement, which it was sent in advance yesterday.

Spokesman Martin Dales, of the York diocese, said: “We believe that the vast majority of ordinary members of the Church of England would not want to see the consecration of women to the episcopate as the trigger for the exclusion from the church of a large number of faithful Anglicans.”

Who will force the ordinary members of the CofE who do not want to see the consecration of women to the episcopate as a trigger for exclusion to, in fact, see it that way? Women bishops won't be a trigger for exclusion unless people want to take that view.

The General Synod voted two years ago to go ahead with women bishops in a simple measure but leaders of the Church of England have since been struggling to find a way forward that would keep the traditionalist wing on board. Today’s announcement shows their attempts have failed.

There is no way to keep the traditionalist wing on board and still maintain women bishops on an equal footing with male bishops.

In truth, I don't like to see anyone walk away from an Anglican or Episcopal church, but I'm tired, tired, tired of the threats.

WHAT IS DAT?

One zealous fan leads a march of Saints fans down University Drive in Miami Gardens, FL, the site of the Super Bowl.

I don't know what this is, but it's wearing a mitre, a stole, and a cincture.

"No, June, do not say it!" Sorry. I had to have a word with myself.


See the entire wonderful slide show at TPM.

"WHO DAT DOG"

H/T to OCICBW.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If you think about it, not a one of us knows where we're going. We may think we know, but we really do not. Getting up in the morning is a little like jumping off a cliff - if you think about it. Best to trust God, which is not easy but is still best.

Thought inspired by the farewell letter of Bishop Gordon Mursell upon his retirement from the Anglican Diocese of Lichfield in England.

H/T to MadPriest at OCICBW.

STORY OF THE DAY - BAD ARGUMENT

I don't believe in love, he said & I
nodded & said I'd heard that argument
before & it always ends badly & he
couldn't think of another thing to say.


From StoryPeople.

MITCH LANDRIEU BY A LANDSLIDE

New Orleans had more good news that was eclipsed by the Saints mania. The voters elected the best man in the mayoral race.

From the Times-Picayune:

Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, son of a former mayor and brother of a U.S. senator, beat five major challengers in Saturday's mayoral primary, riding a sense of regret among voters who rejected him four years ago and extraordinary biracial support to claim an unprecedented first-round landslide victory.

When he takes office May 6, Landrieu will become the city's first white chief executive since his father, Moon Landrieu, left the job in 1978. Early analysis shows that Mitch Landrieu's victory is owed to widespread crossover voting by African-Americans, who make up two-thirds of the city's residents.
....

"The people of the city of New Orleans did a very extraordinary thing today," Landrieu said minutes after he entered to a chorus of "Who Dat!" from the crowd gathered in a Roosevelt Hotel ballroom. "We decided that we were going to stick the pole in the ground and strike a blow for unity, strike a blow for a city that decided to be unified rather than divided, a city that understands that where there is equal opportunity, there is equal responsibility. It is a city that really understands that we are ready to move beyond and into the next generation."

I predict that Landrieu will be a good mayor for the city. Perhaps he can get the murder rate down. His father, Moon Landrieu, was one of the best mayors New Orleans ever had, and if Mitch is half the mayor that his father was, he will be head and shoulders above the present failed Mayor Ray Nagin. All the good news coming within such a short period overwhelms.

WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS?

NO ONE GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS!!!!

NOT EVEN CLOSE - 31-17!!!

UPDATE: For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thanks to Paul (A.). Sing along here.

You know, I've said again and again, that winning the NFL championship and the Superbowl is about much more than a football game. The Saints team win is a sign of hope for the full comeback for the city of New Orleans and south Louisiana. The victory helps us to believe in ourselves again.

"HOWAY THE LADS!"

Cheers for the Saints all the way from Newcastle upon Tyne in Merrie Olde England. You see a new face (Moi!) in the Saintsations lineup, along with Ormonde, who "helps" the dancing girls' coach.

To hear the music that goes with the picture, click on over to Newcastle for a listen.

SAINTS MANIA SPREADS TO ST. JOHN'S

 

Closing hymn and beginning of Second Line. The rector's wife follows him with the umbrella. Click on the picture to see the close-up of the alternative hymn book for our closing hymn. What else?

 

Second Line continues.

 

Our rector poses in his special chasuable.

 

Rear view of the chasuable showing the fleur-de-lis, for which the NFL attempted to claim copyright. LOL!

 

More Second Line.

 

Our greeter all dressed up in her Saints outfit with her umbrella. Ain't she sweet?

SAINTS MANIA IN FULL SWING

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees

This game is about a devastating hurricane and a city's inspiring recovery.

It's about a franchise that has struggled to get here for more than four decades, and a loyal fan base that has kept the faith.

It's about the hometown hero, Peyton Manning, who now rides into this game wearing the "black hat, " hoping to lead the other team to victory.

It's about Manning's legacy and Drew Brees' legacy, and Sean Payton's legacy and Jim Caldwell's legacy. And it's about the Indianapolis Colts cementing their place in history and the New Orleans Saints changing their reputation forever.

But when Super Bowl XLIV finally kicks off this evening inside Sun Life Stadium, more than anything, it will be about football.

This game will be about the two best teams in the NFL doing what they do best for three hours inside their own little bubble on the game's ultimate stage.
....

Brees said he always has some level of nerves or butterflies leading up to a game. And he said, "If you don't have any of that, it may be time to get out."

But he said the more he prepares and visualizes the moment, the more those nerves become replaced with confidence.

"It's really about getting past all that (pregame) stuff initially and being able to get to the game, " Brees said. "You have to say to yourself, 'It's football. It's another game, and we know how to go out and play well and win these types of games
....

The Saints came up with a team mantra to start this offseason, one that has been repeated often as they've learned how to dominate the fourth quarter and find ways to win. But that mantra has never been more fitting than it is right now:

"Finish Strong."

"Sounds good to me," says she who knows very little about football.




Yeah. CRAAAZEEE!

From NOLA.com.

Win or lose, there will be a Saints parade Tuesday.

The New Orleans Saints Super Bowl parade scheduled for next Tuesday will begin at 5 p.m. on Poydras Street in front of the Superdome, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The entire Saints team and organization will be on a series of floats donated from various Carnival krewes across the city.

There you go. We don't have enough parades parading right about now. One more will round things off.

BLIZZARD IN MID-ATLANTIC

From Reuters:

A blizzard producing heavy snow and powerful winds pummeled the U.S. mid-Atlantic on Saturday, causing at least two fatalities and paralyzing travel in the region.

Snowfall totals of 20 to 30 inches (51 to 76 cm) are forecast from Virginia to southern New Jersey by Saturday evening when the storm is expected to move out to sea.

Up to 28 inches 71 cm) of snow had fallen by 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) in suburban Washington, D.C. Local weather forecasters said the storm could bring the heaviest snowfall in 90 years to the Washington area.

The National Weather Service declared a 24-hour blizzard warning for the Washington-Baltimore region until 10 p.m. EST Saturday/0300 GMT Sunday.

Winds were strong, especially along the mid-Atlantic coast, with gusts recorded up to 40 mph (64 kph).

Elizabeth Kaeton is at her cottage at Rehoboth Beach and lost power for a while, but now has electricity once again. Read all about her adventures at Telling Secrets.

Pray for those who have lost power or in in any kind of trouble during the severe weather.

From JimB:

That is not tears of concern in my eyes -- nasty infection. I am getting treatment but as a diabetic, I am only terrified when something threatens my sight. Prayers gratefully accepted.

FWIW
jimB

BISHOP ALAN LOOKS FORWARD TO GENERAL SYNOD

Bishop Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham, reflects on the approaching General Synod of the Church of England. Bishop Alan blogs at - well - Bishop Alan's Blog.

From the Guardian:

General Synod ahoy! Sadly for aficionados of genteel custard pie wars, bishops' gender is not slated for major discussion next week, although fans of turf – and astroturf – wars will take note of a private member's motion about a US dissident former Episcopalian group. Connoisseurs of murder at the vicarage may find some tasty morsels in the debate on terms and conditions of service for members of the clergy.

That would be Lorna Ashworth's motion:

“That this Synod express the desire that the Church of England be in communion with the Anglican Church in North America”.

"The church's parliament" it may be, but the General Synod's house of laity is democratic in the pure ­Athenian sense that only a tiny proportion of the ­punters get a vote. A while ago I questioned this aspect of the setup, but gilded ones who sit in the tearoom and make our futures told me that, even using the internet, it would self-evidently be ludicrously costly and ­bothersome to have ordinary Anglicans voting. So there.

Think of it! All of the members of the church, all us humble pew warmers having a vote on the issues! Well, surely the implementation of such a practice would be "ludicrously costly and ­bothersome", but Bishop Alan is way out in front for even having the thought.

What I wish for this General Synod, however, and the next one, is something the Rule of Benedict describes as the great work of any Christian leader – to order all things in such a way that the strong have something to inspire them, and the weak nothing they need to run away from.

Let us pray for the members of General Synod, who will be meeting beginning on February 8, 2010.

The comments to Bishop Alan's column are particularly and viciously anti-religion, although I agree with the commenter who states that the CofE bishops should be out of the House of Lords.

WHO NEEDS A BABYSITTER?

 

 

 

 

Within the heart of every stray
Lies the singular desire to be loved

Thanks to Sue for "the sweet pictures of little kids and their pets. Enjoy!"

SIGNS IN MALAYSIA

Click on the picture for the large view and then, don't ask, don't tell!

Thanks to Wade, who says that he's been looking for funny signs for me in Malaysia, but "most Malaysians speak far better English than is common in the US!" I don't doubt it, but apparently his compliment does not apply to absolutely EVERYONE.

OUR SUPPER TONIGHT...

...included dearly-priced boiled crawfish, the first of the season. Crawfish are not yet plentiful because of our extended cold weather this winter.

With the crawfish we had boiled fresh artichoke. We pull the leaves off and dip them in a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, black pepper, and a dash or two of Tabasco. When we get down to the heart and stem of the artichoke, we break them up and dip into the same dressing. Mmm-mmm good!